Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 4, 1 April 1990 — ʻAi Pono, E Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi Pono, E Ola

By Terry Shintani, M.D., M.P.H.

Lu'au leaf as a source of ealeium and mana

"The natives are in general rather above the midd\e stature ..." Ellis, 1823. In other words, they were tall and had strong bones. Would you like a simple, delicious way to help build strong bones, to avoid

certain cancers and osteoporosis, and to lift your spirit at the same time? Try lu'au leaf. Like limu, it is another delicious source of ealeium, other healthy nutrients, and mana. Let's talk first about the mana in the lu'au leaf. Lu'au leaf, as the top of the kalo (taro) plant has very strong mana, according to the mythological origin of the kalo plant. In ancient times, when the universe was being created, Papa (mother earth) and Wakea (father heaven) mated. Their firstborn child was stillborn and wasburied. Outof the body of this child, named Haloa, eame the kalo plant. The next child of Papa and Wakea became the progenitor of all of humanity. Because kalo was considered to be the brother of all people it was believed to possess great life-giving mana for human beings. The lu'au leaf has strong mana because it is part of this plant and it was the Hawaiian way to use all parts of the plant. How does this mana translate to modern-day nutritional value of the kalo plant? We have talked about the body or the corm of the kalo plant in previous articles. But the leaf has mueh nutrition as well. First of all, it is a great source of ealeium. lt has 178 mg of ealeium per one-eup serving. Caleium helps strengthen bones and may protect against osteoporosis, whieh is the thinning of the bones in old age. Lu'au leaf is also known to have a lot of vitamin A in vegetable form (beta carotene) whieh is believed to help prevent cancers of the lung, breast, stomach, and bladder. Studies done in Norway

showed that people who ate more than average amounts of beta carotene had only half the rate of lung cancer as compared to those who ate less beta carotene. Vitamin C is also found in lu'au leaf whieh is believed to help prevent certain kinds of cancer. Vitamin C helps to break down nitrosamines, whieh are the cancer-causing chemicals formed when we eat nitrates and nitrites (found in preserved meats like baloney and hot dogs). In some studies, eating food high in vitamin C is related to overall low rates of cancer, specifically lower rates of stomach, and esophageal cancer. Fiber is another healthy substance found in lu'au leaf that helps prevent cancer and helps people lose weight. People who eat a lot of fiber seem to have less cancer of the eolon (na'au). Fiber is the part of the food that is not digested and provides the "roughage" or the "bulk" in the stool. This helps to make for good bowel movements by preventing constipation, and less ehanee for chemicals in the food to affect the eolon.

So if you want strong bones like our ancestors and at the same time to lose weight and avoid some cancers, try lu'au leaf. Here's a simple recipe for lu'au leaf that you ean try. Lu'au leaf is delicious by itself or with other dishes such as in lawalu fish. Remember that you must eook the lu'au leaf or it will itch in your throat because of the tiny oxa!ate crystals in the leaf. For those of you who have little time to eook, consider using pre-cooked frozen lu'au leaf from the supermarket. Cooked Lu'au Leaf Wash 1 lb. lu'au leaf and remove the haha (stem). Strip the skin. Put into a large pot with one quart of water (you may add the haha if you wish) and 3 pinches Hawaiian salt. Bring to boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Dr. Shintani, physician and nutritionist , is director of preventive medicine at the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. A majority of the center's 18,000 clients are native Hawaiian.